It’s the first day of spring and although it may seem a little gloomy at the moment we want to brighten things up by giving two of you the chance to win a copy of The Birds They Sang courtesy of Saqi Books.
This lovely book is enchanting. Written by Polish ornithologist and author Stanislaw Lubienski it shines a light on some of history’s most meaningful interactions between birds and humans.
Discover more about Kes, the kestrel in Barry Hines’ novel A Kestrel for a Knave that was made into an award-winning film, be heart-warmed by the moving story of a group of prisoners of war turned bird watchers, and find out why François Mitterrand’s last meal was so controversial. Famous birdmen also feature including James Bond, Jonathan Franzen, and Alfred Hitchcock, as do Lubienski’s musings on his own experiences of birds and bird watching.
It’s a fun read that you can easily dip in and out of, and although some of Lubienski’s tales may be familiar, his prose is so delightful that you will surely see the relationship we have with birds through a new lens.
To enter all you need to do is tell us which bird you most associate with spring. Enter your answer in the comments below, and we’ll pick two winners at random using the wonderful wheel of names.
The competition closes at 11:59 pm on the 27th March 2020 and you can see the full competition Ts&Cs here.
Good luck!
This competition is now closed.
Don’t worry if you weren’t able to enter – check back soon for another chance to win.
88 Responses
For the last week, we have had a beautiful song thrush singing in the garden for us . We are blessed.
The chiff chaff, when 8 hear that I know Spring is here
The cuckoo’s clarion call heralds a golden spring in India. As warm winds blow and the scents of ripening mangoes fill the air, the cuckoo invisibly serenades the day in long, sweet notes, darting from branch to branch, and a cosmic dance of notes reverberate from all around. It’s the signature tune of a colourful Indian summer.
The black birds & and the collard doves in our back garden
For me, the herlad of spring is the lark. Or, to be exact, its songs high in the sky over the fields.
A thrush singing its heart out in the early morning and evening
Avocets at Burton Mere RSPB. They are a sure sign Spring is here.
Our dominant blackbird who thinks he owns our garden (and maybe he does!), bouncing around collecting food, dressed in his shiny black feathers
A cacophony of sound from the wood pigeon, great tits, blackbirds and robins forming the morning chorus and the firt sightings of butterflies.
The glorious returning swallows at a nearby farm.
When the House Martins and Swallows return, it’s definitely a sign its springtime!
I love to hear the sound of the blackbird, the blue tits, great tits etc flitting around and feeding from the bird feeders.
Eagerly waiting to hear the sound of the cuckoo, such a joy.
Chiffchaffs singing on my local nature reserve.
Listening to the robin i seen just 2 days ago on Monday morning
the 23rd March chirping and singing away
and not a better sound you could hear to brighten up the day in times like now were all enduring with this horrid virus outbreak
across the globe . But this little bird just brought a smile to my face .
__________
If i win id read up on them and then give the books to my bird loving nearing now 91 yr old mother whom always has loved birds also
and i still feed her bird feeders for her every other day around her back garden which she enjoys looking at the birds feeding
from her kitchen window 🙂
Peregrine falcons nesting on the church that I can see from my dining room window. I had the immense privilege to see a falcon landing on the fence and a squirrel about 2 foot away from it. I managed to video about 5 mins of the squirrel growling at the falcon, who sat there somewhat baffled not sure what was going on.
I am housebound anyway pre coronavirus but can sit by a window looking at a bird feeder, I have blue tits, cole tits, dunnocks, goldfinch visit and often see red kites overhead.
The first sand martins scudding across the surface of the local mere.
I have a blackbird couple that nest in my bay tree every year. I’ve named them jack and Vera. They are back singing and flitting around in my garden. They denote spring to me.
Blackbirds. A couple of years ago I had a pair of blackbirds nesting right outside my back door. It was fabulous watching the nestlings newly hatched being fed by the parent birds so close at hand (I could peep though a kitchen window); and to watch the two babies fledge. They hopped around the garden near to the nest like ungainly frogs, and got bigger and stronger each day. For all I know, the blackbird on my garden wall right now is probably a descendant!
I have a tiny firecrest that is nesting in my hawthorn bush oh the delight when I see that tiny bird flash pass it is amazing.
The little gang of long tailed tits on the bird feeders.
Blue tits in the woods behind the house
Pairs of Buzzards calling overhead
Curlew high on the moor their call eckoing for miles around is just wonderful to my ear.
Male blackbirds starting to mark out there territory love hearing it as I leave for work 5_30am you know spring is here
The dawn chorus just lights up my world.